Why your home security system is a waste of money

After so many years of crusading for the move to hi-tech security in all homes, I was most astonished to find out that just on my street some homes were still in the B.C era as far as their security was concerned.

It has always baffled me why people have to wait for the rain before they remember an invention called the umbrella, when they could have gotten an umbrella and averted any chance of getting wet…I will let you in on the reason for saying this in a few paragraphs.

But before that if you are one of those still stuck on old and ineffective security systems, please change…for the sake of your home and the society’s effort at preventing crime. Think about it, if all of us had the best security systems in our homes and offices…the thieves would have nowhere to rob and may just be inspired to get a job.

Now here’s the story, I live on one of those quiet streets where neighbors only see each other from time to time. And as an avid advocate of surveillance systems one of the first things I did when I moved here two years ago was to go round and discuss security with my new neighbors.

What I was able to gather from my conversations with them was; first, security was a major problem in the neighborhood (in fact there were robberies almost every week or so). And the second thing I found out which sort of compliments the first was that most of my neighbors were retired people with a strange mistrust for technology.

But I was able to get them (at least some) to see the wisdom of going hi-tech with their security. In the end, there is nothing like too much security, right. One home I had a big issue with was the one right opposite mine, owned by a retired soldier. And as can be expected from the dogged, unflinching military mind of this old vet, it was a NO! And I got a door slammed at my face for just for being a good neighbor. His words were “I’ve got all the security I will ever need, son”.

Now, I was away for a weekend holiday last Friday and set the IP cameras in my home (as usual). On the Saturday night after a big party, I thought ‘why not check out what’s going on at home’. So I switched my PC on and breathed easy, being thankful for the ability to keep an eye on my home from so many miles away. As a security technician, I almost feel responsible for the safety of my neighbors, so I have cameras fitted on my walls watching the street and its environs…just in case.

Well the case finally came. Looking at the old vet’s gate, I saw a couple of suspiciously dressed fellas enter. But I thought, it’s probably his sons from the military academy or something, then one of them ran out and moved of sight. Three minutes later, he was back with a car and they were rushing in and out the house, packing all kind of stuff. So I rang another neighbor to check out what was going on. And yes, just like you are thinking it was a robbery. Luckily the other neighbor was able to call the cops in time to nab the crooks.

Back home some days later, one of the first things I did was to get a copy of the tape to the cops and the old soldier. He was completely blown away that I had been able to see this from another state, when he was just down the street attending the annual veteran’s ball.

But my question was, how did you secure your home? He told me of highly trained K9’s (which somehow the robbers were able to cuddle up with), an alarm system (the smartness of thieves has repeatedly outdone that of this device) and of course burglar proof doors and windows (but thieves are increasingly showing their skill in penetrating this).

To be fair, this vet had his home quite secure, except he was missing one thing…surveillance cameras. See, the thieves had studied his home and found it to be one of the few places on the street where security cameras were absent. And they seized the opportunity of his absence to break in. The most unnerving part of all this is; since they had known no-one was watching, they conveniently cracked his wall and removed his window burglar proof to get in.

So after all the talk and police investigations with lines and tapes drawn just about everywhere. The old soldier came to me and sought advice on security for his home. And just as I said earlier, the security he had in his home was good, quite honestly they are one of the most assuring forms of security available for any home. But it’s important to also add a security camera to that list. I mean, if yours truly wasn’t the good neighbor that I am, who knows what would have gone down.

My new friend (the veteran) had to have his property vandalized and his home turned upside down to learn the importance of security cameras, but this doesn’t need to happen to you before you also make that change. So please go get a home surveillance system today (if you don’t have one) and while you are at it, tell your friends and family to also get one too and let’s make the world a safer place.

It breaks my heart to see people robbed of their hard-earned money and properties that took years of hard labor to acquire. So, I designed SmartFoxSecurity.Com to educate people on how they can protect their valuables by using video surveillance systems.